Persona 5 Royal: Complete Guide

A spoiler-light guide to Persona 5 Royal on PC: calendar and time management, Palaces and Mementos, combat, Persona fusion, Confidants and social stats, the Royal-exclusive third semester (and how not to miss it), romance and New Game+.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the Steam release (October 21, 2022), which includes the previously released DLC. The game is complete and not receiving content updates. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Time is the real resource. Every day has daytime and evening slots, and most activities use one. Plan your days.
• Clear each Palace early. Securing the infiltration route in one or two visits frees the rest of the deadline window for Confidants and stats. Don't leave it to the last day.
• Always carry a Persona of the right Arcana when you spend time with a Confidant. It earns bonus points and speeds up ranks.
• Exploit weaknesses. Hitting a weakness knocks the enemy down and gives you 1 More turn. Down every enemy and you get a Hold Up, then an All-Out Attack or a negotiation.
• Raise social stats in parallel. Knowledge, Guts, Proficiency, Kindness and Charm gate many Confidants and dialogue options.
• The third semester is Royal's true content. Rank Maruki's Confidant to 9 before November 18, or you'll miss it. It's the only Confidant requirement. Details below.
• Pick a difficulty and don't be proud. You can change it in the config menu. Merciless makes weakness hits huge on both sides.
• The Picaro DLC Personas are included. They make early fights trivial. Skip them if you want the intended challenge.

Daily Structure

Time slot | Common uses

After school / daytime | Palaces, Mementos, Confidants, part-time jobs, studying, shopping

Evening | Confidants that are available at night, reading, crafting infiltration tools, studying at Leblanc, bathhouse, TV/DVDs

Weather | Rain and seasonal weather change which activities are worthwhile. Check the forecast on your phone/UI when planning

Sundays/holidays | Extra free time, and some Confidants are only available then

Rule of thumb: handle Palaces in as few days as possible, and spend everything else on Confidants and stats.

Combat Essentials

Mechanic | What it does

Weakness → 1 More | Knocks the target down and gives you an extra action

Baton Pass | Pass your 1 More to an ally with a damage and healing bonus. It improves as you rank up party Confidants

Hold Up | All enemies down gives you: All-Out Attack, talk (recruit Persona), ask for money, or ask for an item

Technical | Physical or other hits on enemies with ailments (burn, freeze, shock etc.) deal technical damage

Guns | Limited ammo per Palace visit. Good for finishing off gun-weak enemies

Showtime (Royal) | Paired cinematic finishers that trigger sometimes when allies are in danger

Ambush | Hit Shadows from cover for a first-strike advantage

Dungeon tips

• SP is the real limiter. Use safe rooms, SP items (Soul Drops, Snuff Souls, coffee brewed at Leblanc) and Royal's Will Seeds (three per Palace, and collecting them restores SP and builds toward an accessory).
• Use the Third Eye (hold the prompt) to spot enemies, treasure and interactable objects.
• Save at safe rooms. You can also fast travel between them.
• Infiltration tools (lockpicks, Goho-M escape items) come from crafting and Confidants. Craft lockpicks for treasure chests.
• Treasure demons are rare, fleeing enemies worth big XP and money, and they're also fusion ingredients.

Palaces Overview

Palace | Target | Notes

1 | Suguru Kamoshida (castle) | Tutorial-heavy. Learn negotiation and ambushes

2 | Ichiryusai Madarame (museum) | More puzzles

3 | Junya Kaneshiro (bank) | First big SP drain. Stock up

4 | Futaba's Palace (pyramid) | Puzzle-heavy. Futaba joins after

5 | Kunikazu Okumura (spaceport) | Haru awakens and joins during this Palace

6 | Sae Niijima (casino) | A long Palace with a turning point in the story

7 | Masayoshi Shido (cruise ship) | Late-game difficulty spike

8 | Mementos depths | End of the second semester

Royal | Maruki's Palace | Third semester only (see requirements)

Mementos: the procedural dungeon under Tokyo. Do the Requests you get from the Phan-Site to earn money, XP and Confidant progress. In Royal, Jose trades stamps and flowers found in Mementos for items and upgrades that increase Mementos rewards (XP, money, items).

Personas and Fusion

• Velvet Room fusion: normal (2 Personas), triangle and special fusions. You can register Personas in the Compendium and summon them later for money.
• Arcana bonus: a higher rank with a Confidant gives newly fused Personas of that Arcana extra XP.
• Skill inheritance: plan inherited skills in the fusion preview. Remove extra elemental types so you get the ones you want.
• Guillotine and extras: the Velvet Room's execution functions let you itemize a Persona into gear or sacrifice Personas for XP. Royal adds the random Fusion Alarm bonus fusions and other Velvet Room upgrades.
• Skill cards teach a skill to any Persona. Copy them later with the right Confidant perks.
• Carry a spread of weaknesses covered. Joker can switch Personas mid-battle, which is your biggest edge.

Confidants and Social Stats

Social stats

Stat | Ways to raise it

Knowledge | Studying (Leblanc, library, diner), answering class questions, reading books

Guts | Bathhouse, horror movies, spicy food challenges

Proficiency | Crafting tools, part-time jobs, some books and activities

Kindness | Watering the plant, part-time jobs at the flower shop, DVDs

Charm | Bathhouse, answering class questions, certain drinks

Must-have Confidants (for gameplay perks)

Confidant | Arcana | Why prioritize

Tae Takemi | Death | Healing and SP items, a key early shop

Sojiro Sakura | Hierophant | Coffee and curry recipes (SP/HP items)

Munehisa Iwai | Hanged Man | Better weapons and gun customization

Sadayo Kawakami | Temperance | Free time (she does chores for you)

Yuuki Mishima | Moon | Extra XP for benched party members

Party members | Various | Follow-ups, Baton Pass upgrades, Harisen Recovery, and ultimate Personas at max rank

Caroline & Justine / Lavenza | Strength | Fusion options (special fusions, Guillotine)

Chihaya Mifune | Fortune | Confidant point boosts

Ichiko Ohya | Devil | Lowers Palace security levels

Hifumi Togo | Star | Shogi-themed battle tactics perks

The Third Semester (Don't Miss It)

The Royal-exclusive third semester (January and beyond) holds the new story, Maruki's Palace and the true ending.

Required:

• Reach Rank 9 with Takuto Maruki (Councillor) before November 18. Rank 10 then plays out on the 18th. He's only available on certain school days (look for his Confidant icon at Shujin), so rank him steadily from the moment he unlocks rather than leaving it late.

Not required, but worth doing:

• Rank Goro Akechi (Justice) as far as you can; getting him to Rank 8 in November unlocks extra benefits. GameRant states it is not required for the third semester, but it's cheap insurance and improves his arc.
• Spend time with Kasumi Yoshizawa (Faith) when you can. Completing her Confidant isn't needed to unlock the third semester.

Story choices:

• When "Igor" offers you a deal near the end of the second semester, refuse. Accepting leads to one of Royal's bad endings. The same rule of thumb applies to the big offer you get later in the third semester if you want the true ending.
• During Sae's interrogation, deny any claim that Joker knows his accomplices' identities. Selling out your friends ends the run badly.

Romance

At a certain Confidant rank with romanceable characters (e.g., Ann, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, Kasumi, Hifumi, Tae Takemi, Sadayo Kawakami, Chihaya, Ichiko Ohya), you get a dialogue choice to start a relationship. Dating more than one person has consequences later in the story. If you want to avoid drama, pick one per playthrough.

Kichijoji and Royal Extras

• Kichijoji (Royal): a new district with darts (improves Baton Pass), billiards, shops and more hangout spots.
• Jazz Jin (Kichijoji): take friends to the jazz club for permanent stat boosts to party members.
• Thieves Den: a customizable hideout with collectibles and the Tycoon card game.
• Grappling hook points make Palaces more vertical.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Finishing Palaces on deadline day. Clear them fast and spend the saved days on Confidants.
• Hanging out without a matching Arcana Persona. It wastes points.
• Ignoring social stats. Several Confidants and dialogue options are gated behind them.
• Missing Maruki's Rank 9 by November 18. No third semester, and no true ending.
• Overusing the Picaro DLC Personas if you want a real challenge.
• Hoarding SP items without a plan. Buy or brew enough coffee and stock Soul Drops before long Palace days.
• Using one save file. Keep rotating saves, especially before deadlines and major story choices.

Advanced Tips

• Grind in Mementos, not Palaces. Mementos floors are short and full of Requests, which makes them the best place to level between Palace deadlines.
• Hold Up negotiations: answer to match the Shadow's personality to recruit them without wasting turns.
• Baton Pass chains pass along growing damage and healing bonuses. Line up party members who hit different weaknesses.
• Itemize with the Guillotine for strong accessories and weapons from specific Personas, especially at higher levels.
• Crafting nights: turn spare evenings into lockpicks and Goho-Ms. They save time in Palaces.
• New Game+ carries over Social Stats, the Compendium, money and items (among other things), which makes maxing every Confidant much easier on a second run.

FAQ

How long is Persona 5 Royal? Very long. The main story plus the third semester commonly takes around 100 hours or more.

How do I unlock the third semester? Reach Rank 9 with Maruki before November 18, refuse Igor's deal, and don't betray your friends in the interrogation. Akechi Rank 8 and Kasumi's Confidant are not required, though Akechi Rank 8 is worth getting for its benefits.

Can I change difficulty mid-game? Yes, from the config menu.

Is the DLC included on Steam? Yes. The PC release includes over 40 previously released DLC items, including costumes and DLC Personas.

Do I need to play Persona 3 or 4 first? No. Every mainline Persona has its own story.

Does the game have Japanese voices? Yes. You can choose English or Japanese voice-over.

What's next for the series? Persona 4 Revival launches February 18, 2027 (pre-orders open), and Persona 6 is open for wishlisting on Steam.

Sources

• Persona 5 Royal on Steam (store and announcements)
• Persona 5 — Wikipedia (Royal release dates and content)
• GameRant — Persona 5 Royal: How to Unlock the Third Semester
• Persona 4 Revival pre-order announcement (Steam, June 2026)